Jukebox Cinema #2: Syl Johnson - Any Way The Wind Blows

Jukebox Cinema is proud to announce the screening of Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows on Saturday August 11th at Beerland, Texas. In attendance will be the director Rob Hatch-Miller and producer Puloma Basu. Before the film, there will be a short program of selections of their work for Funny Or Die, music videos, and a preview of their next documentary, Other Music. There will be a Q&A moderated by Jukebox Cinema's Matt Conboy with the filmmakers after the screening.

In addition, End of an Ear Records will be onsite with a pop up store during the event. This event is 18+ and free.

About the Film:

Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows is a portrait of an overlooked yet hugely influential African-American musician whose 60 year career spanned every genre of Black music from the Blues, to Soul, to Funk, to Hip Hop. In spite of enjoying success in Chicago in the 1960s with songs like “Come On Sock It To Me” and “Is It Because I’m Black,” and recording with the same band and producer as Al Green at Hi Records in Memphis in the ‘70s, Syl’s music remained largely unknown and his career was seemingly over by the ‘80s.

With the advent of Hip Hop, his 1967 song “Different Strokes” became extremely popular among DJs and producers and was sampled by artists including Run-DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, the Beastie Boys, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Jay Z and Kanye West.

The release of a comprehensive boxed set on the Numero Group record label in 2010 further revived his career and brought Syl Johnson his first Grammy nomination. With fiery concert footage from then and now, a funky, energetic soundtrack, and an original score by Yo La Tengo, Any Way The Wind Blows shows how talent and perseverance can prevail in the end.